They say money talks and if that is the case the Premier League is shouting at this stage. Clubs up and down England are reaping the rewards of Rupert Murdoch’s brainchild. The deals the clubs signed with BSkyB, ESPN and Setanta have put the Premier League teams in a very envious position financially.

When Rupert Murdoch saw the drama of Italia ’90, Gascoigne in particular, he felt a lot of money could be made if this was replicated week after week. Murdoch got his way as he usually does and the English division 1 was re-branded and the Premier League was born. The new version of the English game was going to be a selling point for his new satellite television venture Sky. This was probably the best thing to happen the English football.

The English clubs had a difficult time adjusting to a pan-European competition, in the main because they were sceptical if it would work. Ironically it was an English club that kick started the idea of a European cup. Wolverhampton Wanderers beat Honved of Hungary and manager Stan Cullis proclaimed his side as the best team in the world and the English media were only too happy to support his claim. This caught the imagination of Europe  and a cup was set up to find the best team on the continent. And the English were lukewarm about the idea.

However, they eventually came around to the idea and by the late 70s and early 80s they were by far the most dominant force in Europe. Between 1978 and 1982 the cup was won only by English teams, the most consecutive victories won by teams from the same league. Even Aston Villa won one. Hamburg broke up the party in 83 but Liverpool won it back in 84. Then the Heysel disaster happened and the English teams received a temporary ban from European competitions. Crowd violence and control had been a problem within the British game for some time and UEFA finally had enough after 39 Italian and Belgian fans were killed in the Heysel stadium in the European cup final in 1985, contested between Liverpool and Juventus.

The English teams found it difficult to settle back into European football, despite Manchester United’s cup-winners-cup victory in 1991. The big boost was the money the new Premiership/League received from Sky. A lot of people have criticised Manchester City for trying to ‘buy success’ but if you look back at the short history of the Premier League you can see that the English clubs bought their way back into contention in Europe and so continue on were the left off before the five year ban was imposed. In their absence, the Serie A teams and Real Madrid and Barcelona had the money and bought the best players. Man City are only continuing a long established European tradition. 

The Spanish league finally kicked off last weekend after the players’ strike was called off and put to one side. And speaking of one sided, it was business as usual as reigning champions Barca and Real Madrid put up cricket scores on their first outing in the 2011/12 season.

      The league will take a short break for the international fixtures this weekend. Many the minnows will be thankful for the break, even if it is just the first set of matches that have passed them by. They have seen what type of form the big two are in and they will have an extra week to formulate a plan that will stop Messi, Ronaldo etc. Real and Barca are already first and second in the league and it is unlikely that any of the other clubs will break into the top two at any stage this season.

      Real Madrid got over their recent disappointment in the Spanish Supercup by hammering Zaragoza 6-0 in La Romereda. Last season’s top scorer took up from where he left off last season as Cristiano Ronaldo scored a hat-trick and Marcelo, Xabi Alonso and Kaka each added a goal. The result sees Madrid go top of the table on goal difference. They will next play Getafe at home.

      Barcelona kicked off their campaign at home to Villareal. They won 5-0 with goals from Thiago, Fabregas, Sanchez and Messi(2). They never looked in any trouble as through out the game as you probably can guess from that score line. Barca’s next game will be away to Real Sociedad.

      What should be the highlight of the next round of matches is the clash between Valencia and Atletico Madrid, but it may be just the start of the battle for third place. Valencia have lost Juan Mata to Chelsea. Atletico have brought in Falcao from FC Porto but they have lost Aguero and Forlan. The big two have gotten stronger and the rest of the clubs have weakened. Only one round of games gone and already we are dying for the next classico.

However, the English defence hasn’t been at its best in recent contests, and the two goals conceded against Switzerland were very poor.  That’s why a Bulgarian goal is a strong possibility, but I expect England to run out winners in the end, and if Bulgaria are pushing for an equaliser late on, an English goal or two on the break is extremely likely.

A 3-1 England win is extremely tempting at 14/1, and looking at possible goalscorers, Ashley Young has made a great start to his Man United career and I can see the Bulgarians struggling with his pace and directness on the counter attack.  Combining a bet for him to score anytime and a 3-1 win is at 22/1.  While Young is a good call to score late on, I like the chances of Wayne Rooney opening the scoring, especially with the form that he is showing.  He’s at 15/4 to do just that.

It’s a pivotal match for the Republic of Ireland this Friday as they meet Slovakia at the Aviva Stadium. With a trip to Russia just a few days later, anything less than three points will be a major setback to hopes of qualifying for the European Championship, a feat last accomplished in 1988.

Ireland are obviously favourites, and with a recent record of four wins and a draw against the Slovakians, it’s well deserved.  It’s well known that Ireland are not the most adventurous team, but the flipside to this is a tremendous defensive record recently, with a host of clean sheets kept.  It’s hard to see Slovakia getting the better of a tough Irish backline that has improved immensely since the teams last played in October 2010, and betting the under of 2.5 goals at 4/7 is a good shout.

That’s because Ireland will never blow a team away with attacking skill, and a 0-0 halftime score with a 1-0 Irish win looks appealing at 7/1.  As for goalscorers, Shane Long has made an impressive start since signing with West Brom and has also caused problems for defences with his physicality in his short international career so far.  You can tab him to score anytime for a 1-0 win at 15/1.

Most of the La Liga teams are going through a though time of it as of late. Many Spanish teams have sought protection from the courts to stop the lenders and the banks taking back their money and closing the clubs. Although this works in the short term and keeps the team afloat one issue it cannot resolve is the lake of money. Players and coaching staff still have to be paid.

The state salary guarantee fund (FOGASA) have put up E40m to help ease the burden but this will not stretch very far when the facts of the matter are looked at. One club alone, Real Betis, owes its’ players over E22m. The story is similar across the top two divisions in Spain. The players’ union, AFE, is now getting frustrated and has called a strike.

The AFE wants the clubs to cough up the cash to the players and are also frustrated by the courts as they feel it takes too long for the players to get their due money after the rulings. On the other side of the argument the presidents of the clubs do not have the money to spare and they also feel that the AFE are paid too much. This could rumble on for a while longer.

The longer it does the worst the effect is going to be. Although some the Spanish teams have been in action in Europe during the week, come the group stages the other European teams will be much fitter at that stage of the season. More importantly than this is the long term implications. Nobody will want to partake in a league that cannot pay its’ staff. The end of golden age of Spanish football may be around the corner if this issue is not resolved.

Villa dominated from kick-off and Gabriel Agbonlahor opened the scoring after 12 minutes with a fine strike. They doubled their lead a short while later with a goal from Emile Heskey.

McLeish named an attacking line up with 3 strikers – Agbonlahor, Heskey and Bent – and new signing Charles N’Zogbia all causing problems for Blackburn.

In the second-half Blackburn pulled a goal back through Pedersen to make it 2-1 but their revival was short lived when Darren Bent scored to secure all three points for the home side.

Speaking to the BBC after the game Steve Kean said he was looking to add another striker and central defender to his squad in the coming weeks but all evidence suggests that he may not be around the club too much longer after losing his first two opening games.

McLeish has secured 4 points from his opening two games and he couldn’t have been more pleased with the performance of his strikers and new signings N’Zogbia and Shay Given who was outstanding in their first game away to Fulham.

Match Report: Aston Villa v Blackburn

Liverpool can count themselves unfortunate not to have played the majority of the game against Sunderland with the numerical advantage personnel-wise, as Kieran Richardson should surely have been red carded for bringing down Luis Suarez when the deadly Uruguayan striker looked to have rounded ‘keeper Simon Mignolet. Andy Carroll also had a goal disallowed for an alleged foul on Anton Ferdinand. Referee Phil Down deemed that Carroll pushed the Sunderland defender before controlling the ball and firing into the net, but replays suggest that the Geordie striker didn’t do much wrong and that Ferdinand simply misjudged the flight of the ball.

Joey Barton proved too much for Arsenal players to stomach when they played Newcastle as St. James’ Park. First Alex Song reacted to a foul by Barton with a sly stomp on the back of the midfielder’s leg, which would’ve most certainly resulted in a red cad had it been detected by the referee, then Barton hauled Arsenal debutant Gervinho to his feet after the Ivorian appeared to take a dive in the penalty area. The handbags that ensued eventually culminated with Gervinho’s dismissal for slapping Barton on the head, with the former Man City player taking a theatrical dive of his own in the process.

The two fixtures between Arsenal and Liverpool last season also had more drama than action. Last season’s opening game had Roy Hodgson take charge of his first competitive league game at Anfield, against Arsenal. Joe Cole earned himself a red card on his debut for a wild two-footed lunge in the first-half. David N’Gog put the Reds in the lead early in the second-half, before a rare error by Pepe Reina gifted Arsenal a last gasp equalizer. Another debutant, Laurent Koscielny, had an early bath when he received a second yellow card minutes before the full-time whistle.

At the Emirates, a weakened Liverpool looked set to leave London with a point until Jay Spearing gave away a penalty in injury time, which was duly converted by Robin Van Persie. 90 seconds later Arsenal quite comically gave away a penalty of their own. Dirk Kuyt showed nerves of steel to score and end Arsenal’s title hopes.

This time around, both sides will badly want a win to atone for their disappointing opening day results. Arsene Wenger will be without the recently departed Cesc Fabregas and Emmanuel Eboue, while Kieran Gibbs and Johannes Djourou join Jack Wilshere on the treatment table and Gervinho serves the first match of a three game suspension. Samir Nasri is also unlikely to feature as he continues to seek a move away from the Emirates.

Liverpool have no fresh injury worries after their clash with Sunderland. Kenny Dalglish’s men enjoyed a week off while Arsenal battled to a 1-0 victory against Udinese in the Champions League play-off round on Tuesday night.

Liverpool have yet to taste victory at the Emirates but now is as good a time as any for the Reds to break their duck, with Arsenal’s mounting selection problems. Dirk Kuyt’s omission from the starting line-up against Sunderland shows the strength of Dalglish’s squad, and such competition is likely to demand good performances from those vying to nail down a place in the starting eleven.

Bet365 offer odds of 9/5 on an away victory for Liverpool with Luis Suarez likely to prove a strong threat to Arsenal’s defence.

Tip: Liverpool to win @ 9/5

Debutant Mauro Formica had put Steve Kean’s side in the lead in the 20^th minute. The Argentine was put one-on-one with the ‘keeper Wayne Hennessey following some good work from Jason Roberts, and the 23-year-old calmly slotted the ball into the net.

Steven Fletcher continued his rich vein of form from the end of last season by getting Wolves level before the break, when he rose above Michel Salgado to head Matt Jarvis’ cross past Paul Robinson.

It was not to be Salgado’s day. The veteran Spanish defender gave away a penalty early in the second half when he fouled Wolves winger Jarvis in the box. The former Real Madrid man’s blushes looked to have been saved when Paul Robinson denied Irish striker Kevin Doyle from the spot, only for Stephen Ward to rifle in a shot from the edge of the box after Doyle’s rebounded effort eventually found it’s way to the left-back.

Alex McLeish’s reign as Aston Villa manager got off to a decent start with a point earned against Fulham at Craven Cottage. Fulham’s home form over the past couple of seasons has proved Craven Cottage to be one of the  most feared away trips in the Premier League. Shay Given showed no signs of rustiness during his debut after a season on the bench with Man City, pulling off several good saves to keep the tie scoreless.

Aston Villa should have too much quality for this poor Blackburn side. Given’s impressive performance, coupled with McLeish’s cautious tactics and Blackburn’s lack of firepower, suggests that the Villa defence will keep a clean sheet. The addition of Charles N’Zogbia from Wigan should go some way to accommodating the problems left by the departures of Ashley Young and Stewart Downing, with Marc Albrighton also set to grasp the opportunity to make a claim for a regular place in the starting eleven. Darren Bent should still receive quality service and Villa’s attacking threat should prove to much for Blackburn to keep at bay.

With this in mind, bet365’s offer of 15/8 on Villa being the only side to score looks great value.

Charles N’Zogbia, who so often produced moments of magic for Wigan, is 5/2 to score at anytime during his home debut.

Tip: Aston Villa to be the only side to score @ 15/8

Both teams earned a point to be proud of last weekend, with Sebastian Larsson’s stunning volley earning Sunderland a point at Anfield while Newcastle held Arsenal to a scoreless draw at home.

Two of Steve Bruce’s new signings stood out against Liverpool; Wes Brown gave a man of the match performance at the back and Seb Larsson produced the equalizer. Bruce decided to ease in the likes of Craig Gardner and Conor Wickham rather than throw them into the deep end with a start away to Liverpool, but they could yet feature against Newcastle.

Alan Pardew gave home debuts to duo Yohann Cabaye and Demba Ba. Neither made that much of an impact as Arsenal dominated possession and defensive pair Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor stole the show for the home side. Gabriel Obertan, recently signed from Manchester United, came on during the second-half and impressed with his pacey determination.

The defensive displays of these two teams on the opening day lingers in the memory, so a low-scoring affair is plausible. Despite being the away side, Sunderland showed far more attacking intent at Anfield than Newcastle did at home to Arsenal, so bet bet365’s offer of 6/1 on Sunderland winning 1-0 looks appealing.

Stephane Sessegnon showed impressive scoring form in pre-season for Sunderland, and the attacking midfielder is 7/1 on to score first at the Stadium of Light on Saturday, with bet365.

Tip: Sunderland to win 1-0 @ 6/1

Real ended last season some way off Barcelona in terms of class and achievement. Jose Mourinho had a lot of ground to make up during the summer. They brought in Alltintop from Bayern, Callejon from Espanyol, Coentrao from Benfica, Nuri Sahin from Borussia Dortmund and Raphael Varane from Lens. They are all the type of player Mourinho loves, hard working and industrious.

He already had plenty of grafters in the squad in the shape of Alonso, Diarra, Khedira and di Maria. What Madrid could have done with is more of a creative type in midfield to link the play between Alonso and the forwards.

This job usually falls upon Ozil but he floats in and out of games too much and especially in the classico games last season. Mourinho managed teams have never lacked drive but creativity is usually where he falls down. For example, he continued to leave out Kaka and left Benzema out of the team until Higuain got injured. This will all lead to a similar season as the one just passed because Jose has no Plan B.

Barcelona and Pep Guardiola come into the season in much ruder health. There’s nobody above them and they have achieved everything they set out to achieve. The club was in a similar position a few seasons ago under Frank Rijkaard and they just simply fell apart. It’s hard to see this happening again under Guardiola but questions will remain until the end of the season about their hunger to go on and win more. Barcelona didn’t show any fear in the Bernabeu on Sunday which is most unusual for a Barca team. Were they not taking the tie seriously?

Barca have also been busy in the transfer market. In come Alexis Sanchez from Udinese and Cesc Fabergas from Arsenal. It’s clear why Sanchez was brought in. Guardiola now wants a wide player to stretch defences and leave more room for Messi and Villa up front. This is more than likely the result of the success of Afellay last season.

Messi’s first goal against Madrid in the Champions League is a good example of the room he gets when Barca play with a wide player. Sanchez is a better player than Afellay and it made sense to buy him.

Cesc is another matter though. It’s very unlikely he will break up the Xavi-Inieseta-Busquets axis that worked so well last season. A lot of reports have claimed that Fabergas pushed for the deal more than Barca did and his presence may upset a few players at the club. It may have been better for Fabergas and Real if he ended up at the Bernabeu this season.

Barca’a hunger is what will define their season. They’re in a unique position where they have no direct completion in terms of skill and ability. Real and United are just that bit behind them at the moment.

Barcelona though, for all their success, are a team that focus on their few defeats rather than their many victories. They still remember the defeat to Mourinho’s Inter in the Champions League and it’s not a place they want to go back to. For this reason La Liga is their’s to lose.